Should I feed my chicks medicated feed?

[writerskramp]

i wouldn't go that far...

Still like ya..

 

[Cecisflock]

Still like ya..

thanks you seem fun too, sorry for calling you an a-hole lol

 

[writerskramp]

thanks you seem fun too, sorry for calling you an a-hole lol

No problem ex used call jerk too get under my skin as did her mother.. for some reason it did... We are all entitled to our opinions, right or wrong. You did fine.. Bless you, you have chutzpah and I like that in a person.. You'll do great things.

 

[Cecisflock]

you have chutzpah and I like that in a person.. You'll do great things.

Nicest thing anyone has ever said

 

[writerskramp]

Nicest thing anyone has ever said

Well good, you should hear it more often.

 

[wordgirl]

I just hatched 5 chicks. I have a few older birds (14 weeks old) that are on non medicated starter feed. I am feeding the other chicks with the same food. Will they get coccidiosis? I am trying to have them Non - GMO. Or should I get the medicated feed?

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but this is my current understanding:

Some prefer to use medicated feed and some prefer to use non-medicated, and you can raise happy, healthy chicks on either. Some (including myself) like the extra "insurance" that medicated feed can provide for young birds who are still building up immunity to coccidiosis. But if you are vigilant at keeping your brooder clean and also are keeping your younger birds away from your older birds (who have higher immunity to it and can tolerate a higher coccidiosis load in their environment without being harmed), you can be just fine. You can also decide to feed non-medicated and if you then have an issue later on you can directly treat the sick birds with medication (or so I have heard).

One thing to keep in mind, if you are trying to raise them non-GMO is to check your feed packaging for specific non-GMO labelling--otherwise your grains could be genetically modified (regardless of whether the feed includes medication or not). I don't know if medicated feed would automatically cause the feed to not be non-GMO or not, though I wouldn't imagine so?

 

[wordgirl]

Then would suggest that you just try to keep a close eye for any symptoms, so you catch it early. Coccidiosis is common, but it doesn't happen to every batch of chicks. If you have Corid on hand then you can be ready to treat right away if you do see any symptoms. When I raise chicks in a brooder I don't use medicated feed. I keep things as clean and dry as I can (chicks are messy) and I give them a dish of soil from outside starting in the first few days of life. I use a large plant saucer. Easy to dump and clean, and refill with clean soil. They scratch and dig and dustbathe in it (they LOVE it) and it exposes them naturally to the microbes in the soil, giving them a chance to build immunity naturally (same as a broody hen raised chick would). I keep meds on hand in case they are needed. But exposing them this way from very early has cut my incidence of outbreaks to almost nil (I havent' had an outbreak going on 7 years now). If I ever had an outbreak of a very virulent strain, or had lots of outbreaks, I might consider using medicated feed. But it hasn't been necessary in my flock and I prefer not to give meds unless they are really needed. There really isn't one right answer for all flocks, your environment and how you keep and manage your flock makes every situation different.

Here is a helpful quote from @coach723 in another ongoing thread in the BYC forum: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/are-all-chicks-vaccinated.1462126/post-24351530

 

[RogueRoosterRanch]

I don't give my chicks or chickens medicated feed at all ever. All organic, non-GMO. Chickens have never been sick. One other thing we do is give them plenty of space. We can walk inside their coop. And the run is nice and big. In 5 years, we've never lost a chicken to disease, sickness or predator. I just believe in letting Mother Nature do her job. To each his/her own though.

 

[doccod]

No! It's my personal choice.. I have and won't do anymore.. My reasoning if you want to call it that.. Immune System can not develop if VEXED.. get yours did you..? Sorry Political and get your affairs in order.. I am older than most vaccines.. I lived through Polio, Small Pox, Scarlet Fever to Rheumatic Fever.. Have had every childhood disease known to man.. Heck, mama's used to set up play dates with some kid you didn't even know so you would get the Mumps too Measles or Chicken Pox.. That is the way to do it.. None of these diseases are what they are cracked up to be.. even had Rubella (Hard German Measles) as an infant and am still here.. Though poor eyesight which may be hereditary anyway.. You medicate and you remove all the fun.. I've been VEXED two times, Polio, with which they lined us up two too three times a year experiment.., and Small pox. They did sneak a Tetanus shot up on me when I wasn't looking.. So not necessarily. Postscript: Believe the Immune System has been breed out of them.. but it is a start nonetheless.

I like your logic. I went through the same thing growing up in the late 50’s. I had all except polio thank god. My wife (67 and I’m 63) had the RONA in January and it was nothing worse than cold symptoms. We and chickens need to update our immune systems. That’s why kids like me that ate dirt when we were younger didn’t get sick all the time!

 

[writerskramp]

I like your logic. I went through the same thing growing up in the late 50’s. I had all except polio thank god. My wife (67 and I’m 63) had the RONA in January and it was nothing worse than cold symptoms. We and chickens need to update our immune systems. That’s why kids like me that ate dirt when we were younger didn’t get sick all the time!

Not only did we eat dirt, my Mother said I was growing potatoes in my ears.. Tried dirt, knew a kid that ate it all the time.. suspect diet or home problems. I was crippled and in a coma 9 weeks out of 10.. of which I have no memory. The Doc came to the house with his little black bag and told me to move my toes.. One almost twitched.. "He doesn't have it!" That's all she wrote for 9 weeks.. Still have weak ankles.. should of seen me ice skate as a kid.. RONA, may have had it.. There was some weird stuff I've never experienced, and have experienced plenty. It would come and go.. The muscles in my back was the worst.. I was near incapacitated two days.. and ouching for three or more.. never experienced such pain.. but better now.